Data from: Establishing rates of carbon sequestration in mangroves from an earthquake uplift event

We assessed the carbon stocks (CS) in mangroves that developed after a
Magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Silonay, Oriental Mindoro, south Luzon,
Philippines in November 1994. The earthquake resulted in a 50 cm uplift of
sediment that provided new habitat within the upper intertidal zone which
mangroves colonized (from < 2 ha pre-earthquake to the current 45
ha, 23 yrs post-earthquake). The site provided opportunity for a novel
assessment of the rate of carbon sequestration in recently established
mangroves. The CS were measured in above-ground, below-ground and sediment
compartments over a seaward to landward transect. Results showed mean CS
of 549 ± 30 Mg C/ha (of which 13% was from the above-ground biomass, 5%
from the below-ground biomass, and 82% from the sediments). There was high
carbon sequestration at 40-cm depth that can be inferred attributable to
the developed mangroves. The calculated rate of C sequestration (over 23
years post-earthquake) was 10.2 ± 0.7 Mg C/ha/yr and is comparable to
rates reported from mangroves recovering from forest clearing. The rates
we present here from newly developed mangroves contributes to calibrating
estimates of total CS from restored mangroves (of different developmental
stages) and in mangroves that are affected by disturbances.